How Brands Can Leverage Podcasts In 2018

There’s no denying that podcasts are a ubiquitous form of content that users are consuming at a rapid rate. The medium has been around for decades, but has recently grown in popularity as users change their consuming behaviours to suit their busy lifestyles.

But at a time when podcasts are becoming more popular than ever, how can brands leverage this medium to drive deeper engagement with their users?

The Network Brisbane August meet up, aimed to uncover how brands can develop creative podcast strategies, build an engaged audience, and monetise their content. With a creative panel featuring the likes of Phoebe Parsons, Stevie Dillon, and Ronsley Vaz, the evening covered the need-to-know information about creating a podcast of your own.

The event kicked off by answering the main question on everyone’s mind - in 2018, why are podcasts becoming so popular? Stevie took the time to explain how podcasts are the only form of content that allows a user to multitask. When listening to a podcast, users aren’t required to stop what they’re doing in order to consume it.

So before you jump into the world of podcasting, what are the main factors a brand should consider?

As an experienced creator and podcasting strategist, Ronsley shared his valuable advice about planning a podcast;

“Ask yourself, do I have a topic that I could create 1,000 episodes about”.

When it comes to podcasting, our panel agreed that the most crucial factor to any show is consistency. It’s important that your audience knows exactly when your content is going to be released. Ronsley also mentioned that by consistently publishing content, it will increase the chances of your show featured in the iTunes store.

On the topic of preparation, Stevie also took the time to share some of the logistics behind bringing a podcast to life. She shared the list of both recording and production tools she had invested in at the beginning of her podcast.

One of the hot questions that everyone was eager to uncover, was of course, around monetising a podcast.

Phoebe mentioned that the reality of monetising a podcast is a slow process. A show takes time to build momentum. It’s often the case that most shows won’t have opportunities to monetise their content until they’re a few seasons in.

Stevie also took the time to mention that monetising your podcast may not actually mean acquiring a sponsorship. In Stevie’s case, her podcast has allowed her to grow her core business instead. Listeners of her podcast develop a pre-built relationship with her personality throughout each episode. This has allowed Stevie to not only engage with new potential clients, but also compete with other businesses on a scale that isn’t based on price.

Stevie’s podcast helps position her as a thought leader within the industry, allowing her clients to know exactly what they’re paying for in advance.

So if you’re a brand or individual that has recorded a podcast, what are the best ways to distribute your content?

Ronsley highlighted that when distributing your podcast content, it’s crucial to feature a CTA or next step for listeners. This could include encouraging users to view more content, sign up to an email list, or even purchase a product or service.

Stevie delved into her distribution strategy through paid Facebook ads. As her podcast is hosted on iTunes, she targets ads to only those users on iOS devices. This ensures that anyone who engages with the ad could actually listen to her content.

She also mentioned how important it is to leverage your guests as a means of distributing your content. By partnering with someone in an episode, you can then leverage their networks to grow your own audience.

Overall, the panel did a fantastic job of sharing their valuable insights into how brands can leverage podcasts as a medium to engage users. The event wrapped up with a final top tip from each of our panellists - you can catch them in the video below:

Are you heading along to our September event? Join us at the Queensland Cricketers Club as we focus on programmatic media buying in 2018. You can catch the full event details here.